Kris Wright Headed Back to Trucks with McAnally-Hilgemann Racing

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Kris Wright is headed back to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series full-time in 2026, pairing up with McAnally-Hilgemann Racing.

The organization announced on Tuesday that Wright, a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, will drive the No. 81 FNB Corporation Chevrolet Silverado RST for the Bill McAnally-owned operation in the NASCAR Truck Series.

Signed up!@KrisOnNASCAR is taking the reins of the No. 81 in 2026. Full details ➡️ https://t.co/71IRiXsmV5#NASCAR | @NASCAR_Trucks pic.twitter.com/hDoGCr02Dk

— Bill McAnally Racing (@BMR_NASCAR) December 9, 2025

Wright will be reuniting with the organization after contesting a two-race stint with the organization last Fall in the team's fifth entry, the No. 16 Chevrolet, at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL and Talladega Superspeedway. The 31-year-old driver recorded finishes of 11th (a career-best) and 26th.

Darren Fraley has gotten the nod to work with Wright as the full-time shot-caller of the No. 81 Chevrolet Silverado RST in 2026. The Kinsman, Ohio-native has been with several organizations throughout his time in the NASCAR Truck Series including Niece Motorsports, GMS Racing, and Jordan Anderson Racing before moving to MHR in 2024.

Fraley and Wright have worked together before -- twice, actually -- once in a three-race stint at Niece Motorsports in 2022 (which netted finishes of 25th, 27th, and 31st) and in his afforementioned two-race stint with McAnally-Hilgemann Racing this past Fall.

“I’m really looking forward to next year and being a part of the MHR program,” said Wright. “This is the biggest organization I’ve had the chance to race with, and it’ll be a great opportunity to put the resources to good use. I felt really good about working with Darren [Fraley] in the two races we ran this fall. There’s a lot of familiarity there, so I’m really encouraged that we can have a strong season in 2026.”

Wright has jumped around from series-to-series throughout his NASCAR National Series career, which began in 2020, including stints in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (now the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series), the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, and the ARCA Menards Series.

In 2025, Wright began the year driving the No. 5 Chevrolet for Our Motorsports in the Xfinity Series before the two parties split up and Our closed its doors mid-season. Aside from that endevour, Wright also made starts in the ARCA Menards Series for Venturini Motorsports and the NASCAR Truck Series for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing.

Although Wright has 49 career starts in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, the 2018 IMSA Prototype Challenge LMP3 champion and 2017 IMSA Prototype Challenge Rookie of The Year (ROTY) has never run a complete campaign with a single organization -- something he hopes to change with McAnally-Hilgemann Racing in 2026.

“We’re glad we were able to run Kris in a couple of races before the end of the season and to have him on board in 2026,” team owner Bill McAnally said. “With Darren [Fraley] leading the No. 81 team, we’re making sure Kris has strong team behind him and motivated to elevate his career in his first full-time season.”

Wright will join Tyler Ankrum (No. 18) and Christian Eckes (No. 91) as the announced drivers for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing in 2026. The team has yet to confirm who will drive the flagship No. 19 Chevrolet next season.

The 2026 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series campaign will begin with the season-opener at Daytona International Speedway on Friday, February 13 at 7:30 PM ET. Coverage of the event will be on FS1, NASCAR Radio Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.